Hikes

I love the outdoors - running, biking, snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, camping, etc. But I really do enjoy hikes - It’s totally different than my computer-centric social city world I love. Now I’m sharing them with YOU. Note: I like harder stuff, especially ones where you get to climb a mountain.  Check out My Collections of Hiking Pictures on Flickr, as well as Hiking blogs.


Chicagoland Day Hikes

  1. Cook County Forest Preserves
  2. Dupage County Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve
    • SW Chicago near 55/355, just west of Sag Valley
  3. Indian Dunes (state park, nat’l park)
    • 90 minutes from Chicago by car
    • day hikes, beach, up to 200 foot sand dunes
    • optional: walk-in camping, RV camping, etc
  4. Starved Rock State Park - (my pics)
    • 2 hrs from Chicago, hike for 2-5 hrs,
    • optional: lodge, cabin, camping
  5. Kettle Moraine  John Muir Trail,
  6. More chicagoland hikes


Chicago Area Car Camping/Hiking

  1. Devil’s Lake State Park, WI
    1. Where: north of Madison, 20 miles south of Wisconsin Dells, 3.5 hours from Chicago,
    2. When:  Camping year-round, swimming, rock-climbing, best in summer and fall
    3. Hiking: East Bluff Woods Trail, more to come ..
    4. Camping: Devil’s Lake (campsite pics) - Wheelers (2 miles) - Mirror Lake (15 miles) - [Family: Merry Mac's, Nordic Pines]
    5. More - wikipedia - a guide - state park -  608-356-8301 chads pics
  2. Galena, IL - camping, historic town, river
  3. Buckhorn State Park
    1. Where: Castle Rock Lake, 4 hours north of Chicago (200+ miles)
    2. When: summer, fall
    3. Hiking: and kayaking, fishing, swimming
    4. Camping: Buckhorn (reservations) -
  4. Door County, Wisconsin
    • Where: Peninsula on Lake Michigan, 5+ hrs north of Chicago
    • When: April-October.
    • Desc: Cape Cod of the Midwest, lots of state parks and cherry orchards (info)
  5. Cohakia Mounds -  info, wikipedia, (just east of St. Louis, 5 hrs from Chicago)
  6. Kickapoo State Park (more)
  7. Wyalusing, Wisconsin, 4.5 hrs NW of Chicago (drive/camp place - wi.gov, bootsnall)


Chicago/Midwest Backpacking

  1. Isle Royale National Park (nps.gov)
    • Where: Island in Lake Superior, between Michigan and Canada
    • When: April-October, best in August (closed winter).
    • Hikes: 7-40 miles, canoeing, camping, raw wildlife backcountry(gorp, trails.com, more, info, )
    • Notes: no cars, biggest island in worlds’ largest freshwater lake, per acre backcountry use is the highest of all National Parks in the United States.
  2. Kettle Moraine  John Muir Trail,
    • 2 hrs from Chicago, La Grange WI
    • hikes from 1-10 miles (pdf)
    • MORE .. TBD


San Francisco Bay Area Day Hikes

  1. Mt. Tam - 30-45 min north of SF, many options (trail map)
    • 2-3 hour hike from Mtn Home Inn to East Peak via Fern Creek (more, pics)
    • 5 hour hike starting in Baltimore Canyon (pics)
  2. Muir Woods - just south of Mt. Tam, 30-45 min north of SF (hike info)
  3. Alamere Falls - about 2 hrs north of SF, hike then swim in Pelican Lake! (info, pics, google map)
  4. Sweeney Ridge - less than 30 min drive south from SF, 2-3 hour hike.
  5. Castle Rock - near Saratoga, about an hour south of SF (topo map, pics)
  6. Purisma Creek - 1-1.5 hrs south of SF, nature hike under trees on a hot day (pics, gps)
  7. Mt. Diablo - Highest Peak in the Bay Area (pics, gps)
  8. Tilden Park, Berkeley - casual hiking, 1-3 hours (map, pics)
  9. Mt. Carmel - about 3 hr south of SF, hearty 10 mile roundtrip, 4-7 hours (blog, pics)
  10. Angel Island - Island in SF Bay, 20min ferry from SF/Tiburon, easy hiking and camping (map, pics)
  11. More Ideas:


Northern California Hiking/Backpacking Trips

  1. Sykes Hot Springs (blog, my pics, gps map)
    • Where: about 3 hr south of SF - Big Sur, 28 miles south of Carmel CA.
    • When: year round, crowded on summer weekends
    • Trip: 20 Miles total, 2-3 days
  2. Pinnacles National Monument
    • Where: 2-3 hours south of SF, 30 miles south of Holister. map
    • When: year round, but really hot in the summer/fall,
    • Trip: Car camping and day hikes, rock climbing. Desert (temp) park info, park map, my pics,
  3. Trinity Alps (5 hrs north of SF)
    • Granite Lake (pics)
    • or Coffee Creek up to Caribou Lakes.
  4. Yosemite (4 hrs east of SF)
  5. Kings Canyon National Park
  6. Lost Coast
  7. Desolation Wilderness
    • Where: South Lake Tahoe, 4 hrs from SF, Horsetail Falls, log1, (Julia’s 7/2006 pics)
    • When: Summer, Fall - can be more crowded, but beautiful
  8. Snow Mountain Wilderness
    • Where: <4 hours north of SF
    • When: Summer, Fall
  9. More:
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